Fred Upton sipped an Oberon with an orange at his victory party Tuesday night.

The choice of Bell’s popular summer ale was appropriate considering the veteran congressman cruised to victory on an August evening over GOP challenger Jack Hoogendyk.

We congratulate Upton on his win and hope that his wide margin of victory over a far-right candidate signals that Republicans in Michigan’s 6th District are still more interested in practical results than rigid ideology.

Fritz Klug | MLive/Kalamazoo GazetteMike O'Brein speaks at the Kalamazoo County Democratic Headquarters in Kalamazoo while announcing his candidacy for Congress,

Now, on to the main event.

As Upton was celebrating in his hometown of St. Joseph, Democrat Mike O’Brien, who has been anxiously waiting for this day so that he can get his turn against the congressman, issued a statement.

In part, it said: “The people of this district deserve someone with the courage to break through the gridlock instead of walking in lockstep with partisan politics.”

We agree. We are not interested in whether the candidate who wins on Nov. 6 is a Republican or a Democrat. We want a congressman who is going to represent the interests of the residents and businesses in Southwest Michigan and prove that he can put the good of the district above special interests and partisan maneuvering.

O’Brien, of Douglas, is a former U.S. Marine who works for Herman Miller as project team leader. He also has experience with organic farming and offshore wind turbines.

O’Brien is not yet very well known in this part of the district but now that the GOP primary is behind us, we hope voters will get to learn a lot more about him and his ideas for the 6th District.

Here’s why: The winner of the Nov. 6 election shouldn’t be the candidate who has the most money or the highest name recognition. It should be the candidate who has the best ideas for the district and a plan to make those ideas a reality.

While we thought Upton was the better choice in the GOP primary, we were disappointed with the barrage of negative campaign ads — both on the airwaves and in voters' mailboxes — that the congressman directed at Hoogendyk.

So this fall, let’s have a vigorous, honest, clean campaign to elect the congressman for the 6th District. But please, Mr. Upton and Mr. O’Brien, don’t waste your campaign dollars trashing your opponent. Instead, spend your money explaining yourself to voters and why you have the best ideas that will help the district and its residents.